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| Acknowledgments | |
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| Preface | |
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| Introduction: A Wesleyan Tradition | |
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| Covenant Discipleship Groups | |
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| A New Handbook | |
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| The "Why" of Covenant Discipleship | |
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| The "How" of Covenant Discipleship | |
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| Gracious Discipline | |
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| Back to Basics | |
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| Class Leaders | |
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| The Challenge of Christian Discipleship | |
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| The Call to Discipleship | |
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| The Unconditional Condition | |
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| The Cost of Discipleship | |
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| The Dilemma of Discipleship | |
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| The Anguish of Discipleship | |
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| The Search for God's Will | |
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| The Power of Discipleship | |
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| The Obligations of Discipleship | |
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| The Worldly Suffering of Discipleship | |
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| The Pitfall of Spiritual Withdrawal | |
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| The Hope of Discipleship | |
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| An Impossible Tension? | |
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| The Task of Discipleship | |
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| The Condition of Discipleship | |
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| The Obedience of Discipleship | |
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| A Deep Unease | |
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| Back to Our Roots | |
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| The Practice of Discipleship | |
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| A Ring of Common Sense | |
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| A Practical Example | |
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| Mutual Help and Support | |
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| The Need for Leaders | |
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| A Pattern for Discipleship | |
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| For Thought and Discussion | |
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| Early Methodist Discipleship | |
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| The Wesley Brothers | |
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| Wesley the Theologian | |
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| The Tension of the Gospel | |
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| Wesley's Upbringing | |
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| An Influential Mother | |
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| Wesley's Churchmanship | |
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| Ecclesiola in Ecclesia | |
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| Reform of the Church | |
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| Reaching Out to All | |
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| The World His Parish | |
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| Churchly Tensions | |
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| Against Schism | |
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| Formative Factors | |
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| The Religious Societies | |
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| The Moravians | |
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| The Bands | |
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| Too Much Too Soon | |
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| Disciplined Christian Living | |
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| Christian Assurance and Christian Discipleship | |
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| Degrees of Faith | |
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| Forms of Grace | |
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| Freedom to Resist | |
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| Wesley's "Pelagianism" | |
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| Salvation with Responsibility | |
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| Family Chores | |
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| Necessary Good Works | |
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| A Revolutionary Teaching | |
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| Christian Maturity and Christian Obedience | |
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| Aldersgate Street | |
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| Spiritual Diversity | |
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| Mutual Accountability | |
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| Basic Guidelines for Discipleship | |
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| The Form and the Power of Discipleship | |
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| The Method of Methodist Discipleship | |
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| The Class Meeting | |
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| For Thought and Discussion | |
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| The Early Methodist Class Meeting | |
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| "That Excellent Institution" | |
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| Lots to Tell | |
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| Criteria for Accountability | |
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| The General Rules | |
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| Do No Harm | |
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| Do Good | |
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| The Ordinances of the Church | |
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| The Means of Grace | |
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| Gracious Works | |
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| Maturity of Obedience | |
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| Format of the Class Meeting | |
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| The Danger of Formality | |
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| Continuation of the Bands | |
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| Basic Structure | |
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| The Class Leader | |
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| Class Discipline | |
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| Class Tickets | |
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| Conditions of Membership | |
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| The "Muscle" of the Body | |
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| Body Building | |
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| The Body of the Church | |
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| The Decline of the Class Meeting | |
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| From Society to Church | |
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| Keeping Things in Context | |
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| To Reform the Church | |
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| Ecclesiola AND Ecclesia | |
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| Commitment to the Church | |
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| The Challenge of Early Methodism | |
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| For Thought and Discussion | |
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| The Class Meeting for the Church of Today | |
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| Traditioning the Class Meeting | |
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| Accountability for Christian Discipleship | |
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| Accountability for Living in the World | |
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| Accountability for the General Rules | |
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| Accountability for Works of Mercy | |
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| Accountability for Works of Piety | |
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| Working for Our Spiritual Food | |
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| Accountability to and for the Church | |
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| Accountability to the Holy Spirit | |
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| The Method of Methodism | |
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| Accountable Discipleship for Today | |
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| Two Important Contextual Factors | |
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| Mutual Accountability | |
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| One Day at a Time | |
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| Holding Fast with One Another | |
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| Meeting Jesus Christ in the World | |
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| Serving Jesus Christ in the World | |
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| On Call for Christ | |
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| Active Expectancy | |
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| The Need for Basic Guidelines | |
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| For Thought and Discussion | |
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| The General Rule of Discipleship | |
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| Mercy and Piety: Social and Personal | |
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| A New General Rule | |
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| A Fourfold Tension | |
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| A Basic Checklist | |
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| An Old Mistake | |
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| Christian License | |
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| The General Rule of Discipleship | |
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| Witnessing to Jesus Christ | |
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| Witnessing in the World | |
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| Following the Teachings of Jesus | |
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| Accountability for Acts of Compassion | |
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| Common Courtesies | |
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| Accountability for Acts of Justice | |
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| Justice with an Agenda | |
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| Social Risk | |
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| Mutual Consultation | |
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| Social Responsibility | |
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| Accountability for Acts of Worship | |
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| Liturgical Renewal | |
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| To Glorify God | |
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| A Personal Illustration | |
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| Accountability for Acts of Devotion | |
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| Face to Face with God | |
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| Alone with God | |
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| The Discipline of Fasting | |
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| Accountability to the Holy Spirit | |
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| The Threat of Christ's Presence | |
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| Promptings and Warnings of the Holy Spirit | |
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| Accountability to and for the Church | |
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| The Few and the Many | |
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| Congregational Leadership | |
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| Covenant Discipleship Groups | |
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| Holding Fast | |
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| For Thought and Discussion | |
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| Forming a Covenant Discipleship Group | |
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| Joining a Group | |
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| Group Membership | |
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| Covenant Discipleship for Young People | |
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| Covenant Discipleship at Seminary | |
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| The Number of Members | |
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| The Right Day and Time | |
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| Task-Oriented | |
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| What Covenant Discipleship Groups Are Not | |
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| The Top Priority: Be There | |
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| The Importance of Regular Attendance | |
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| Certainty in the Midst of Uncertainties | |
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| Two More "First Steps," | |
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| Some Common Questions | |
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| Writing the Covenant | |
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| The Nature of Covenant with God | |
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| The Preamble | |
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| The Clauses | |
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| A Sample Covenant of Discipleship | |
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| The General Rule of Discipleship | |
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| Spiritual Promptings and Warnings | |
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| Living in the World | |
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| Responsiveness to Context | |
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| Practicality | |
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| "Taking up the Slack," | |
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| Length of the Covenant | |
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| Keeping Our Bearings | |
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| Personal Clauses | |
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| The Conclusion | |
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| Signing the Covenant | |
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| Openended Commitment | |
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| Leaving the Group | |
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| Radical Freedom | |
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| Some Covenant Preambles | |
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| Some Covenant Clauses | |
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| No Neat Categories | |
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| Progressive Accountability | |
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| Christ the Only Paradigm | |
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| Acts of Compassion | |
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| Acts of Devotion | |
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| Acts of Justice | |
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| Acts of Worship | |
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| Spiritual Promptings and Warnings | |
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| Some Covenant Conclusions | |
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| A Covenant from Prison | |
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| Some Common Questions | |
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| The Group Meeting | |
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| Only One Strict Rule | |
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| Any Time, Any Day | |
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| A Regular Meeting Place | |
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| Leading the Group | |
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| Catechesis: Question and Answer | |
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| Opening the Meeting | |
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| Reading the Covenant | |
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| The Covenant Clauses | |
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| Covering All the Clauses | |
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| Controlled Dialogue | |
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| "Advise, Reprove, Comfort or Exhort," | |
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| Polite Rather Than Intense | |
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| Personal Problems | |
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| Closing the Meeting | |
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| Housekeeping | |
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| Conveners | |
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| A Sample Group Meeting | |
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| Conclusion: Two Warnings and a Promise | |
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| The "Doldrums," | |
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| Complacency | |
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| The Promise of Grace | |
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| Endnotes | |
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| Resources | |